I know this category is about our words, but along those lines …

My husband Chuck and I meet once a week for lunch.  It is our time to debrief and reconnect.  His office is about 30 miles from our home and I make it a priority to block out time to go out there each Thursday.  In fact, it is such a routine that last week as I walked up to the building and said hi to two of his co-workers one of them responded, “Wow, is it lunch time already?”  Yes, the dinner bell had arrived. J

We went to one of our favorite restaurants, Doce (in Durham, NC).  Beside the fact that it has great food, one of the reasons we love this restaurant so much is that the owners and staff are so friendly.  They are flexible in how I put my order together, always smile, always say hi and usually hold some sort of short conversation.

Last week Chuck and I were eating outside on the patio.  One of the owners pulled up, he had been out on a delivery, introduced us to his daughter, and chatted for a minute.  On his way inside he asked if we needed anything.  Chuck jokingly said, “Yeah, if you’re handing out some of your cookies.”  (Doce has wonderful cookies.)    I quickly followed with “No, no cookies.”  My salmon and salad was just right.  I didn’t want the temptation of the cookie.  Robert, the partner, smiled, “When she’s not here I’ll give you a cookie.”

Chuck and I finished our lunch and continued talking about life.  A few minutes later Robert brought out a manila envelope with Chuck’s name on it and said, “Ah, remember the information you asked me for last week?” and handed the envelope to him.  Chuck began to open it and Robert quickly said, “You may want to wait to open it.”  Chuck snuck a peek.  Inside was a cookie!

Chuck and I laughed and got great enjoyment out of the gift.  Not only had Robert given Chuck a cookie, but he did so without tempting me in the process.  It was such a simple thing to do, but it was so much appreciated.  Chuck and I talked about this act of kindness all the way back to the office.

As I left Chuck’s office and passed Doce on my way home, I again thought about the cookie and smiled.  Giving this gift took Robert only a few minutes, but it brought an amazing amount of joy to Chuck and me.  What a great reminder of how we can do little things to bring happiness to someone else.

What will you do today?  What gift of kindness can you give to brighten someone’s day and give them a Better Life?